I Don't Like Bullies
by 2gloriouslypurposed4you
Summary: Little Steve Rogers is furious when he finds a bunch of bullies beating up a puppy. Bucky Barnes remembers why he never lets Steve walk home by himself. One-shot. Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel in this.


You sure you'll be okay?" Bucky asked skeptically.  
>"I don't need a bodyguard, Buck, I'm bigger now. I'll be ten next month!" Steve argued.<br>"Remember last time?" Bucky reminded.  
>"Which last time?" Steve said tentatively.<br>"Exactly," Bucky said. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes, you'll croak or something."  
>Steve disconsolately kicked a pebble across the sidewalk and watched it skip and bounce into the road. "I'll be fine. I'm only walking home by myself."<br>Bucky scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know, Steve, your mom told me to watch you."  
>"I <em>promise<em> I'll go right home," Steve said earnestly. "Besides, you have stuff to do at your house anyway. And what could happen between here and my street?"  
>Bucky arched his eyebrows. "A lot."<br>Steve's shoulders dropped as the pair shuffled down the sidewalk. Thunder purred in the dingy-gray sheet of clouds above. It threatened to rain, so the boys were hurrying.  
>Steve wanted to be like the other guys—it wasn't that he didn't want Bucky around. Bucky was his best friend. But Steve wanted to change his well-known reputation.<br>"C'mon Buck," Steve said, in one last attempt.  
>Bucky hesitated. "Fine." He said with a reluctant sigh. "Just-just go <em>straight<em> home, and don't look at any of the big guys and don't pull any superhero stunts!"  
>"Okay, okay," Steve buttoned his jacket. "Quit acting like my mom!"<br>Bucky gave a half-smile. "See ya tomorrow, Steve."  
>"See ya!" Steve grinned. Finally!<br>He went straight home as instructed. He was feeling rather confident—maybe this was the day Steve Rogers could—not get beat up.  
>Steve was just coming up on the pond when he heard jeering and whimpering. Steve frowned—the whimpering crested into a pitiful howl.<br>Steve saw a familiar trio—the tough boys from the sixth grade. They were the ones Steve always got into scrapes with.  
>Right now, they were grouped around a smaller dog, kicking it and poking it with sticks, and just being cruel to it.<br>The dog couldn't get away, and every cry just wrung Steve's heart. He was going to show those bullies! Steve wouldn't let them get away with hurting a dog!  
><em>Don't pull any superhero stunts,<em> Bucky's words came back to him. Steve hesitated, when he saw a boy's shoe land smartly on the dog's tail.  
><em>Not today! <em>Steve made a beeline towards the cluster of boys.  
>"Hey!" He said in his deepest voice. They didn't hear him over their yells and laughter.<br>"_Hey_!" Steve repeated, louder.  
>This time, the leader of the group turned, his hand still wrapped around the scruff of the dog's neck. "Well, look who we have here—Steve the shrimp!"<br>"Just got back from a Girl Guides meeting?" Teased another boy.  
>"Shouldn't you be hiding behind your mommy?" The third boy smirked.<br>"Bucky's not here to save you now." The first boy said, and shoved him to the ground.  
>Steve curled his fingers into a fist and flung himself towards the lead boy and barreled him over.<br>"Leave that puppy alone! What'd he ever do to you?!" Steve yelled. The puppy was in the hands of another boy.  
>The boy scrambled to his feet, surprised at this sudden knockdown. "I'll show you to mess with me, shrimp. You want this mutt so bad? Go get him!" With that, the boy kicked the dog into the water.<br>Steve saw the flailing mass of wet fur and without a second thought, bravely jumped in. Just as he had a hold on the dog, Steve felt himself sink and with a jolt of horror, remembered he never knew how to swim!  
>"Bucky!" He yelled—purely instinct. He scolded himself as he felt the water envelope him and his breaths stop short. Water filled his nose and mouth. After just a few agonizing seconds, Steve heard a <em>gusssssshhhhh!<em>  
>He felt himself being towed to shore, still clinging onto the dog. Steve coughed and coughed, Bucky slapped him on the back, Steve thwacking down to the ground. "Oof!"<br>"What were you thinking?" Bucky said, as the two boys got up. Steve held his dog securely as they made their way back onto the sidewalk.  
>"The—the dog," Steve's teeth started to chatter. "They were beating him up!"<br>"I thought I said—c'mon, let's get you home."  
>Mrs. Rogers demanded a thorough explanation to why Steve was soaking wet and holding a dead dog.<br>"He's not dead!" Steve quickly corrected. "He's still breathing."  
>"That's not a boy dog," Mrs. Rogers said. "Wrap up, Steve."<br>"What about the dog?"  
>"I'll take care of him, Mrs. Rogers," Bucky volunteered. "He'll stay at my place."<br>And so the dog did.  
>But tomorrow at school, Steve tried to ignore his tickly throat and stuffy nose and was eager to know about his 'dog'.<br>Bucky didn't want to go to school tomorrow. He remembered with a grimace how he had dried off and wrapped up the dog and tediously watched over her—only for the dog to never wake up.  
>As Steve perkily asked about her, Bucky couldn't bear to face him. "It's—it's dead Steve." He said quietly as they made their way down to school.<br>Steve stopped, his mouth open in shock. It couldn't be true. The dog couldn't be dead.  
>The sky was a bright blue and the sun was shining, making it a warm day for that time of year. But Steve was heartbroken. He jogged on ahead, fighting back tears.<br>"I-I'm sorry Steve, I did everything I could," Bucky caught up with him.  
>"It's not your fault," Steve said. He coughed.<br>It was time for school. They were going to be late. But that didn't seem to matter very much under the gravity of the little dog's death. The boys walked in a solemn silence—Bucky felt awful.  
>Bucky clambered up the steps to the schoolhouse when he saw Steve stop. "Bucky?" Steve said shakily.<br>"Yeah?" Bucky said.  
>Steve swallowed. "I don't like bullies."<p> 


End file.
